The Phone Call
After completing her months-long observation period, Chen Xiyao joined the Supernatural Tale Countermeasures Bureau. However, because she is still a minor, she has not decided which department to go to. Instead, she comes to the branch office for various learning and training sessions during holidays.
Although she was aware of her situation, Chen Xiyao was still a little conflicted about her package arriving at the branch office first. She was worried that the things Feng Xue had given her might have been withheld.
However, since the other party directly asked her to pick it up instead of leaving it at the courier station for her to discover, that meant everything was out in the open, and Chen Xiyao had nothing to say about it.
As Chen Xiyao hurried to the guardhouse, she saw four heavily armed security team members standing solemnly at the four corners of the table. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were escorting some national treasure!
But thinking about that "Golden Bell Shield" book from before, Chen Xiyao felt that calling it a national treasure might not be a problem.
With that in mind, she immediately completed the handover procedures with the security team, took the package to her dormitory, and began to look forward to its contents.
"What could it be?" Thinking about it, Chen Xiyao pouted again, dissatisfied. "It's probably another message I need to deliver to the authorities, isn't it?"
As she spoke, she reached under her skirt and pulled out a paper cutter to open the package. The first thing she saw was two bound booklets.
"So it's another martial arts manual?" Chen Xiyao casually tossed the two Peerless Martial Art aside, found the letter at the bottom, and immediately unfolded it. Her expression froze instantly, because the beautifully written calligraphy on the very first line was so striking—
"While I appreciate your concern, I'm curious why I've become your [Scandal Boyfriend]?"
"Aaaaaaah! How did he know?! How could he possibly know?! Could this guy have been lurking around me all this time, secretly observing me?!"
Chen Xiyao scratched her head vigorously, looking somewhat frantic, but beneath this frantic state lay a wildly throbbing girlish heart.
Suppressing the urge to go for a run outside, Chen Xiyao poured herself a glass of water and gulped it down before calming herself. She picked up the letter again, her gaze shifting downwards, and her face darkened once more.
"Alright, enough with the nonsense. The two books in my bag are both top-tier martial arts techniques on par with the 'Twelve Levels of the Golden Bell Cover.' Although even a fool could practice the 'Great Clumsy Hand,' it has extremely high physical requirements. Ordinary people are prone to injuring their bones and muscles if they practice it. It's the Twelve Levels of Golden Bell Shield External Martial Arts I found for the 'Golden Bell Shield Cover.' As for you, I'll say it again: this isn't for girls."
"You can practice the other book, <Sunflower Acupuncture Hand>. It's quite versatile, but don't use it on people who have practiced the Golden Bell Shield technique, it will hurt their hands."
"I finally managed to write a letter, couldn't you have written a few more sentences about me?" Chen Xiyao grumbled, looking at the envelope that was almost empty. But when she saw the last line, she perked up completely.
"By the way, I recently got a phone number, it's ***********. You can just call it. I don't really want to talk to the authorities; I'll handle the rest over the phone. That's all."
Chen Xiyao looked at the phone number and, without thinking, took out her phone and saved it. Ever since she got a guaranteed admission spot through the Supernatural Tale Countermeasures Bureau, her phone had returned to her hands.
But just as she was about to dial, she hesitated, her finger almost touching the dial button several times before pulling it back.
"Just dial already! What are you being shy about at a time like this?!" In a room not far from the dormitory, the members of the Exchange Group were so anxious that their mouths went dry as they watched Chen Xiyao on the screen.
For such overseas packages, the authorities would definitely inspect them beforehand, and naturally, they would also know Feng Xue's phone number.
However, they were well aware that Feng Xue's words were more of a warning than a complaint, so they could only wait for Chen Xiyao to make the call herself.
The Exchange Group is an awkward department in the Supernatural Tale Countermeasures Bureau. In the past ten years, the Bureau has not encountered even one person with whom it can have normal communication. Although it is called the Exchange Group, the members are usually seconded to the logistics group and the Investigation Group to help out. Occasionally, they also have to act as receptionists. If it weren't for the insistence of Old Wang, the founder of the Supernatural Tale Countermeasures Bureau, this department would have been abolished long ago.
Now, having finally encountered a proper mission, they've been stalled because of a little girl's shyness. This feeling has finally made them understand why some romance dramas are Tag "stomach ache."
They feel nauseous just looking at this naive young girl!
Fortunately, Chen Xiyao couldn't resist and pressed the button that represented a call. The staff, who were already prepared, immediately began to trace the source of the signal.
However, Chen Xiyao was completely unaware of all this. She sat on the edge of her bed in the dormitory, listening to the busy tone on the phone, her toes kicking unconsciously. But the moment the call connected, she suddenly froze, not knowing what to say for a moment.
"Hello? Ailu? Knock? Moshi Moshi? Want to go to Saiyou?"
Seeing that there was no response, a long string of greetings came from the other end of the phone. Hearing that familiar voice, even though she didn't quite understand what the whole thing meant, she immediately replied:
"Feng Xue! It's me!"
"Ah, my rumored girlfriend..."
Hearing the teasing voice on the other end of the phone, Chen Xiyao's original romantic mood instantly Cooldown, replaced by a strong and unsettling awkwardness.
But before she could explain anything, the person on the other end of the phone continued:
"While I wouldn't mind having another girlfriend out of nowhere, I remember you're still in high school, right? Doesn't your school allow early relationships?"
"I've already been accepted into a university! And I'll be eighteen in two months!" Chen Xiyao muttered discontentedly, but the words "I don't mind" kept running through her mind. Her toes involuntarily tapped on the ground. Although that's what she thought, she still asked in a somewhat dissatisfied tone:
"By the way, how did you find out about my 'boyfriend'? You weren't actually stalking me all along, were you?"
"Oh, I forgot you don't know, we [Nothingness]... Oh, now I'm Weird Tale. Anyway, our race can directly sense how others perceive us, so I suddenly realized that someone thinks I'm 'someone's Scandal Boyfriend,' and you're the only girl I'm really close to..."
"Bang!" Chen Xiyao felt like her head was about to explode. She could sense what others thought of her? That meant...
Chen Xiyao recalled the impressions that flashed through her mind since she first met this guy; even on such a cold day, steam was constantly billowing from his head...
A profession is Tag, but not all Tag are professions. This term means "to Tag someone," or simply, "What kind of person I think you are."
Most of the Tag in Infinite City are professions, because these are assigned by Infinite City. Infinite City only assigns Tag that are useful to the user, and useful tags can generally be matched with professions.
In reality, people's perceptions are very complex. For example, Tag like "idiot," "simp," and "brainless fan" can be applied. If you think someone is "stupid," as long as your perception is strong enough, then that person will be Tag as "stupid."
This kind of perception is targeted. For example, those who are not Tag can generate Tag through killing. Even if the victim's relatives have never met him, as long as they have a strong perception of "the person who killed my family" as a "murderer", then that murderer will be Tag a "murderer".
Similarly, Chen Xiyao's friends and classmates noticed that this girl often stared blankly with a strange smile, suspecting that she had a boyfriend, but no one had ever seen him. As this belief grew, Feng Xue, the person who caused Chen Xiyao to stare blankly, was Tag as the "Scandal Boyfriend".
Ultimately, our subjective impression of a person is a combination of Tag. The difference is that Tag on a real person are not as readily apparent as [Nothingness], nor do they provide corresponding knowledge or information.